


Bear Bear

by WTFIsSheOn



Series: OTPtober 2020 [1]
Category: Split (2016)
Genre: Barry being Barry, Coping with D.I.D, Dissociative Identity Disorder, F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Angst, Nicknames
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26812372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WTFIsSheOn/pseuds/WTFIsSheOn
Summary: Barry springs an impromptu first date on Casey, where they have a decidedly serious conversation.Turning Traitor continuity, set sometime between their first kiss and Dennis getting stabbed.
Relationships: Barry/Casey Cooke
Series: OTPtober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955530
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	Bear Bear

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to try a prompt challenge this year so I settled on a [Kinktober](https://pastebin.com/H5wswL47)/[OTPtober](https://mobile.twitter.com/DigitalPopsicle/status/1301129650077405184/photo/1) schedule.
> 
> My first entry for OTPtober, aka early Christmas for me since now I have an excuse to write a bunch of Barry/Casey <3.  
> I keep telling myself these are just supposed to be prompt fills, and then I go and write a million words 'cause I don't know how to do anything else and it is unfortunate. 
> 
> Que sera, sera

Not long after Barry and Casey's spontaneous first kiss, Barry got it into his head to have a proper “date night”. He cornered Casey in the kitchen late one fall afternoon, handing her a painstakingly crafted bouquet of red and white Mountain-Laurel that he had picked and curated himself. “We may be fugitives holed up in a cabin, but that doesn’t mean we gotta act like savages. We should have some proper one on one time."

Casey's fingers curled delicately around the flower stems, admiring the gift but feeling a bit baffled; what had brought this on? "Like a date?"

"Yeah, a date. Come on, it’ll be the first normal thing we’ve done in weeks.”

That was an understatement, and Casey had to laugh. "What did you have in mind?"

Eyes shining their pleasure, Barry selected a flower from the arrangement and tucked it behind her ear, sweeping a loose strand of hair back from her face. “Let’s do something right now.”

“Like, right now, right now?”

“Why, ya got somewhere else to be?”

Casey paused, unsure of why she felt so resistant to the idea. She cycled through ten thousand reasons a second, until it dawned on her that the only thing that felt out of place was…her. Dating was a foreign idea, like most things that pertained to young adults, but then again so had been running away with one of America’s most wanted men until she went and did _that_.

“Ok. I’m game.”

A grin easily took over his face, delighted. “Hell yeah you are!” He followed after her as she went searching for a vase to home her flowers. He gently moved her to one side before reaching up to the second cabinet on the right, selecting a light blue vase for the bouquet. “There are a few more up here if ya need 'em, saw them when I was looking for space to put the non-perishables.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m here to serve." He sauntered over to the kitchen island, reclining back on his elbows to study her. "So what do you usually like to do on first dates?”

“Oh, um…that's funny you're asking because..." Casey colored slightly, the question catching her off guard. "I hope, I mean, maybe this will sound weird..."

Barry's smile grew wickedly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “While I appreciate a woman with a healthy sexual appetite, I usually like to wine and dine her before I blow her mind. Call me old fashioned.”

The scarlet on Casey’s face deepened. “No, I wasn't even thinking about sex! Not that I’d be opposed to it, I just meant…”

“Hmm?”

“I meant that I’m pretty new to this ‘dating’ thing.” She drilled her fingertips on the counter, looking over Barry’s shoulder and at the spackled wall beyond to avoid eye contact. She missed the way he bit his lower lip, a playful spark popping out from behind his irises.

“Is that so? Damn, guess we gotta end things then.”

Scarlet turned to purple, Casey's ultimate evolution in mortification, and her mouth dropped open. “End things? You mean us?”

“Yeah. Wow, it’s gonna be an awkward couple of months being stuck in here together, isn’t it?”

A few seconds of utter silence slowly ticked by. Before Casey could implode with embarrassment and protests, Barry laughed and pecked her on the check. “Doll, I’ve just spent the last couple minutes teasing ya and you’ve only grown more and more horrified. _Relax_ , I’m just playing. Life kind of sucks, so I’m partial to having a laugh or two when I can.” His lighthearted demeanor turned serious as a thought occurred to him. “Unless it bothers you, of course.”

The relief on Casey’s face was comically exaggerated, although she shoved Barry before offering a smile in unspoken truce. “No, I should have known better. I guess I’m just super self-conscious.”

“Whatever for? You’re young and have probably had way more important things to be doing than entertaining the goofier sex.”

Oh Barry, as abundant in grace as he was mischief. The thoughtfulness in his eyes made it apparent that he was being sincere, so Casey accepted his thoughts on the matter without comment. It did still leave her desperate to take the spotlight off of herself though. “Never mind me, you're the expert. What do _you_ usually do on first dates?”

It was like she had uttered some secret phrase to wind him up, face lit up even brighter than before. He began pacing back and forth in front of the island, hands as animated as his expression. “You kidding? Back in Philly, I had connections with _every_ shi-shi place in town, you'd have had your pick! Dinner, shows, clubs, movies, anything your cute little self desires. It's what I do with all my partners. You know, just to butter 'em up for all the paperwork."

"Paperwork?"

"Sure, sure standard stuff." Barry waved the question away like what he just said wasn't insane. "Education, work history, food allergies, emergency contacts, fetishes and hard limits..."

Casey balked. "You're joking."

"See, now you're catching on." He swiped the flower still perched behind her ear and lightly tickled her nose with the petals, grinning as she batted his hand away. "But for better or worse, now we get to improvise. Are ya hungry? I’m sure I can whip something up. We'll set up candles, put on a movie...”

“You cook?”

Barry’s nose twitched like it was a trick question. “Ok, so here’s the deal. Part of the reason I’m around is to help Kev with, well…you could say self-soothing, I suppose. Now I only bring this up ‘cause when ya say ‘cook’, I don’t want ya to get the wrong idea.”

“What does that mean?”

“Meaning the only times I'm called on to do any sort of cooking is for comfort. Grilled cheese and tomato soup, maybe waffles, some mac and cheese…" For the barest moment he felt silly, like a little boy playing adult. "I’m afraid it’s not much for a date night, but…”

“Oh my god, are you kidding? That sounds wonderful.”

“Yeah?" He winked, turning towards the fridge to take inventory of what he could work with. "See, this is why we get along so well. So ya know the menu, what are we having?"

"Surprise me."

There wasn't much food available, but Barry figured he could make something work. "Easily impressed _and_ a sense of adventure? Be still, my heart."

"Hey!"

He chuckled as a fist lightly hit him from behind, and he grabbed a loaf of bread and some cheese before turning around to face her. The affection in his eyes caused her mouth to suddenly go dry, and he leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead. "That wasn't an insult. I really enjoy hanging out with ya. I'm a friendly guy, but I'm not indiscriminate with my time."

Casey stepped aside as he began preparing their meal, determined to be helpful. Pulling out plates and utensils, she wondered if the fluttering in her stomach would ever go away or if that was a feature of being in Barry's presence. "I feel the same way. Only, you know, the opposite. I like being alone. Not when you're around, though."

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but she thought she saw his neck flush. Was the ever confident Barry not immune to being flustered?

They worked in comfortable silence. Well, Casey was silent, Barry was singing a pop song that was played non-stop at her high school a year or two ago, but even that didn't bother her. His joy was infectious and though she didn't join in, her feet began tapping as she finished setting the table, keeping time to the melody. 

"Alright doll, take a seat, it's almost ready."

The only thing missing was beverages. Grabbing a few Coke cans, Casey sat at the kitchen table expectantly, foot still tapping with energy.

“Here we are, Croque-Monsieur for the lady.” Barry slid over a plate piled high with the most picturesque grilled cheese Casey had ever seen. The Pullman bread was perfectly crisp, the cheese melted just so, and she gawked at her boyfriend. He had downplayed his abilities quite a bit; it was less Guy Fieri and more _Saveur,_ if they ever started covering comfort food. 

“You joke, but this looks and smells incredible. Honest.”

He smiled warmly, dipping his head in acknowledgement before taking the seat opposite her. “Glad you think so. Don't be shy now, dig in! Let me know if I still got the magic touch.” 

They began to eat, Casey enjoying each bite as Barry filled the majority of the silence with excited chatter about the change in season and how inspiring the fall was for his new designs. Casey would pipe up with a question or two, but was satisfied by her role as captive audience.

When they were finished, she stretched indulgently, reaching for a napkin. "That was somehow even better than it looked. Please pass my compliments on to the Chef."

Barry's wide smile turned to a frown as he watched her get up and move to start clearing away dishes. "Hey, none of that now!"

"You made dinner, I'll clean up. Fair is fair."

"Honey, those dishes aren't going anywhere. Come into the den with me, let's give the food some time to digest at least." 

Skipping out on dishes? He didn't have to push hard, and Casey instead took his outstretched hand and let him lead her into the large family den. They both collapsed onto their favorite sofa and Barry promptly wrapped her up in his arms. "That was nice, but I can't wait to take ya somewhere proper. Hopefully sooner rather than later."

 _Later_. The future stretched out in Casey's mind's eye and something that had been bothering her came crawling to the surface. Her first impulse was to wonder if the topic of conversation would serve to ruin their cozy evening, but Barry was perceptive; she knew it was impossible to hide her concerns for long. She leaned into him, and he sighed with pleasure at the contact. There really was no better time.

Bracing herself, she held on to Barry's forearm, trying to find a measure of stability there. “Can I ask you something?”

“Baby girl, I’m an open book. Fire away”

How to phrase it? Casey went with the first thing that popped into her mind. “Is there ever a possibility you'll just...go away?”

Confusion flit across Barry’s face. “What, like a break up?”

“No. I’ve just been thinking…”

Seeing the discomfort on Casey’s face, Barry held her closer. “Thinking what?”

“I love Kevin, you know that right? I’ve loved him the moment I first met him. Even while trapped and scared out of my mind, even then back at the zoo I knew I loved him. And I never want you thinking I don’t.”

"And why would I be thinking otherwise?”

“Because it's not just him that I'm attached to anymore. I need to know if it's possible that one day I’ll wake up and you could just..be gone." Before Barry could process this, she continued, a dam inside suddenly collapsing to pieces. "Like, what if Kevin just assimilates you somehow? And not just you, but all of the Others!”

“I don’t think-”

“That would kill me, Barry. It might actually straight up kill me.” Now that she had said it aloud, she found she couldn’t stop her runaway thoughts. “It’s occurred to me that I’m fostering a relationship with someone who, let’s face it, wasn’t even supposed to exist! I'm already so attached to you, and one day you could just be gone!"

Barry spent an uncharacteristically long time in thought before attempting a small smile. “Going for existential crisis on the first date, huh? And here I was thinking we could just watch a romcom.”

“I’m sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Nah. You have a right to know, that’s more than a fair question.” 

In what Casey thought was a surprising move, he uncurled himself from her body, instead taking her hands in his own. He looked down at her, his face lacking its usual joviality. "In the interest of honesty, I can't claim to understand how it all works. Hell, some days I'm not even sure what the System actually is."

Her eyes fell downward, and he gently tipped her chin back up. "What I can tell ya is what Dr. Fletcher told me, and she was one of the biggest experts in the field. Baby doll, she said we were incredible, something science has no name for. We're not _just_ rogue pieces of Kevin's personality. We're people, Case. I'm not sure there's putting a lid back on the jar for us."

"I didn't mean that I doubted you were real..."

Barry laughed lightly, obviously not bothered. "I know, I get it. To people that don't know any better, I might as well be a symptom of some terrible disorder. Me, Jade, Dennis, all of us...just a disease. I know you're not one of them."

Casey moved to say something but he held up a finger, smirking. "I'm not done. Maybe I can't give ya any hard truths, but here are some facts for ya. Fact: It's my job to nurture relationships for Kevin, and I happen to be _very_ interested in maintaining a relationship with you." He pulled her to his side, his cotton sweater kissing her cheek as she relaxed into him. "Fact: If you're around then I gotta be around, how could I possibly go anywhere when I still got a job to do? Kevin would never let that happen."

"But what if he has no control over it?"

Barry scoffed, although not unkindly. "A Beast, a shadow organization, and a few well meaning social workers weren't able to keep you from Kevin, or from me. What do ya think is gonna keep me from you?" 

The impact of his words was immediate and Casey inhaled deeply, slightly shaken by his impromptu oath of devotion. He pulled her closer, their inner knees knocking together. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the contact, and Barry leaned down, meaning to tease her over it. Instead he was struck by the pure joy in her eyes as she stared back at him, and every part of him froze on the spot. 

This was ridiculous, Barry did _not_ get nervous-it was his very nature to charm the shit out of just about anyone. But as he felt multiple presences shift behind the light, he realized that this time, it was not just his feelings involved, but everyone’s. He could feel their hesitation, their joy, their fear…Casey knew the truth about Kevin, and her acceptance of Barry was an acceptance of all of them. So many feelings on the line tonight.

“Bear Bear? Ae we going to kiss, or just be really awkward for the rest of the night?” she grinned, secretly hoping to see if she could make him blush again. Instead he just playfully nipped her lower lip.

“Shhh, ya can’t rush these kind of things and...” A puzzled look crossed his face. "What'd ya just call me?"

**Author's Note:**

> You guys ever hear McAvoy sing? That man can do fucking everything and it's just not fair.


End file.
